Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has asked that his team be exempted from the impending rule changes in F✅ormula One, following Ford's withdrawal bombshell last week.

The Australian has asked the other nine teams to grant him a dispensation to continue running the current Mina✃rdi chassis-engine combination should no buyer be found for the Ford-owned Cosworth engine concern which, along with Jaguar Racing, was put up for sale by the Blue Oval in the build-up to this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. Although Stoddart has said that Minardi could, if pushed, revert to t🌸hree-year old engines in 2005, Cosworth's demise could potentially leave both the Anglo-Italian team and rival Jordan without motive power next season.

"It does leave a big question mark over engines and, indeed, over Jaguar," Stoddart told Reuters in Shanghai, "I'd like to think that Cosworth will 💎find an owner - and I think it will - an𝄹d I'd like to think that I'd be running with Cosworth engines [in 2005].

"But [the call for exemption] is a case of force majeure, because we are not talking mo🦋ney. We are talking about whether we have an engine 🦂supply or not next year."

Stoddart said that, in particular, he feared that there would not be enough time to re-design the al♕ready delayed 2005 Minardi to accept another engine for next season. The car has already started to take life, designed around the Cosworth units that Sto🐬ddart agreed a deal on earlier this month.

"My request is to say 'look, there is a serious situation' - and this is a crisis, whether people want to admit it or not," he continued, "So take Minardi out of the equation - and we're not viewed as a threat to anyo✨ne [on the track] - and let us run to the 2004 regulations. We'd run with the existing engine that we've got and we'd be competitive, but not enough to be a threat. The net result is that we'd have a transitionary year that would allow them to focus on finding an engine for Jordan - and finding a solution fo꧂r Jaguar and Cosworth."

Stoddart said that, despite past confro🍷ntations, some teams had already been supportive of his request.

"I hope they all can agree. Frank [Will🧸iams] was very supportive, as was David Richards, Tony [Purnꦰell] and Eddie [Jordan]," he said, "I think it's fair to say Toyota's on side too. You just need everybody, that's all."